IAN MARSDEN - PRE-PARALYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST & GREAT BRITAIN CHAMPION

Ian Marsden was a member of the British Powerlifting Team and won his first Powerlifting Championship in 1989.  This started a major chain of wins culminating in taking World Championship titles in 1992 and smashing three World, four European and six British records.

Ian suffered from a spinal injury and became wheelchair bound.  He dreamed of competing at International level again and discovered handcycling which enables wheelchair bound cyclists to compete at high speeds via specially designed handcycles.

Ian represent Great Britain in the Pre-Paralympic Games in Rome in 2004 and came home with a Bronze Medal to add to his long list of achievements.

Ian is now graded No. 1 in the UK, winning the National Time Trial Championships and the National Leaders Jersey for the second consecutive year. 

Polaris are proud to sponsor Ian who wears our Vortex Jacket, Pro-Bib Tights, Bonehead Hat and Kir Royale Sunglasses amongst other items.

News

April and May, 2008 have been busy for Ian, seeing him travel to Italy and the Czech Republic to compete.

The Padora Road Race on 27th April saw Ian not only achieve a new personal best time of 1 hour 7 minutes over 26 miles, but also set a new UK record.  Ian finished 5th over the finish line.

Problems beset Ian amost as soon as he arrived in the Czech Republic for the Karl Raise National Circuit Road Race however.  On unpacking his handbike there was damage to the boss which sits inside the frame.

After discussion with a fellow team member, Ian decided to go ahead with the race anyway.

Despite leading the field at one point, Ian's chances of winning were curtailed when two of his team mates surprisingly cut in, hitting his front wheel and causing him to take evasive action.  This resulted in Ian crashing in the ditch ending his race hopes just 3km from the finish, and damaging his rear axle completely.

Ian at the European Handcycling Circuit Round 1 Rosenau France

You can read more about Ian at www.ianmarsden.com

NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Newnham Park, Plymouth - 21 July 2007

Paul Hinton - Vets Men's Winner

"It's taken me 20 years of racing to finally get a National Champs jersey. I've never won one before, I've come 3rd, I've come 2nd twice and I'm absolutely stoked to finally have done it!!! I got beaten at Margam Park by 20 secs so that did my head in, so for the next 6 weeks I stomped my way to work and it's paid off. I told my colleague I was going to pace him round and see how I felt and someone tried to come past me on the singletrack near the start and he didn't make it and all of a sudden I had a 5sec gap. I paced myself up to the feed station and then attacked on the hill and nobody came with me. So I kept going and at one point I thought I might have pushed it too hard, I was really hurting, but at the end of the day the winner is the one who hurts the most. My front mech broke after I'd ramped up a comfortable lead and then the last lap my pedal came off, so I had to stop and fix that. I loved the course it's really challenging. This one and Bringewood are the best I've ever ridden."

Paul works for Greyville Enterprises and wears the Raptor Race Kit and although it gets a bit muddy (see pic!) he says that it's fantastic; comfortable fabrics, an excellent pad in the bib shorts, and extremely high wicking.

Team Accelerate are one of the UK’s most renowned Adventure Racing Teams, whose squad members will be involved in this years World Championships. In the two years since they were formed they have regularly appeared on Channel 4 and are no strangers to success. The team is proud to wear Polaris shirts when competing; the men wear our Matrix top, with its subtle reflective pattern, and the ladies all don our Psylla shirts to race in.

Results Include:

2007 –  

• Open 5: 1st Mixed pairs, Female pair and Male Solo
• Open 5 Series: Mixed Pairs, current leaders
• Open Adventure Series: Mixed Pairs, currently 2nd and 3rd place

2006 -   

• Open 5: 1st  Male Solo, Mixed Pairs and Female Pairs
• Ace Race 2 Day, Wales: 1st Mixed Team and Overall Winners.1st Male Pairs
• Gael Force 12, W Ireland: Winners
• Rat Race Edinburgh: Mixed Teams 2nd, 3rd and 5th
• Rat Race Manchester: Winners
• 3 Peak Yacht Race: 2nd Place

TEAM NEW BRIDGE

Founded in 1956, the charity offers a wide range of programmes to help prisoners keep in touch with the outside world and prepare themselves to rejoin it. Its core work is the friendship and support given by more than 250 volunteers to longer-term prisoners, especially those no longer in contact with family and friends. Every volunteer knows his or her prisoner client as an individual with their own personality, problems and potential and values them as such. The relationship cannot otherwise work.

LONDON TO PARIS SPONSORED CYCLE RIDE

New Bridge are delighted to announce that the team, with sponsorship from Polaris, raised £7,000 towards the charity's befriending work which is enough money to train 100 new volunteers.

Full details of their trip can be found here.

You can contact Team New Bridge here:  www.newbridgefoundation.org.uk

Pictured L-R Ben Owen, Ann Bryant & Chris Thomas